Bordertown, South Australia

Bordertown was established in 1852 when a direct route across the Ninety Mile Desert was being planned for gold escorts from the Victorian goldfields to Adelaide. Police Inspector Alexander Tolmer was instructed to create a town as close as practical to the border. Tolmer was upset when the town was not named after him, but that was made up for by naming several sites around Bordertown after him, such as Tolmer Park and Tolmer Takeaway.[9] Land was first offered for sale in the new government town on 28 August 1852.[10]

It was officially known as Border Town until 5 April 1979 when its name was changed to Bordertown.[11]

Boundaries for the locality were created on 16 March 2000 and give the long established name and include the Government Town of Bordertown.[1][3]

Bordertown is also the birthplace of former Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke.[12]

Bordertown is located within in the state electoral district of MacKillop, the federal Division of Barker, the local government area of the Tatiara District Council and the South Australian government region of the Limestone Coast.[7][6][1]

Bordertown is home to the historic Clayton Farm Heritage Museum. It is also famous for its white Kangaroos which have been bred for zoos and animal shelters around Australia. The lightning clock on the main street marks the site of the first electricity source.

The district's economy is based primarily on agriculture, with cereal crops and livestock farming. The largest single employer is the JBS meatworks abattoir which processes up to 8000 animals per day and employs around 470 people. Almost two-thirds of the employees are migrants to Australia, including refugees and skilled migrants on 457 visas, from a total of at least 23 different home culture groups.[16]

Bordertown's major newspaper, The Border Chronicle, is a local publication that was first printed on 13 June 1908. The newspaper's first building, at DeCourcey Street, was auctioned in November 2017, after Fairfax Media scaled back newspaper operations and closed the Chronicle's commercial printing business and office.[17]

Prior to this, the other historical newspaper in the town was the Tatiara Mail which was founded in 1880 by Melbourne Mott (whose father owned The Hamilton Spectator in Victoria) and Michael Murphy.[18] In 1888, the press moved to Nhill and was eventually sold to EJ Stephens of the Nhill Free Press, with the title evolving over time:

• Tatiara Mail and West Wimmera Advertiser (28 August 1880 – 30 March 1888)[19]
• Nhill and Tatiara Mail and West Wimmera Advertiser (7 April 1888 – 2 February 1895)
• Nhill Mail (6 February 1895 – 29 December 1900) - before being absorbed into the Nhill Free Press (1882–1982) in Victoria

A later publication was the Tatiara and Lawloit News (13 June 1908 – 15 June 1912). It was printed in Naracoorte, and was eventually absorbed by the Narracoorte Herald.

Bordertown is on the Dukes Highway and the Melbourne–Adelaide railway, the main routes by road and rail between Adelaide and Melbourne. There are several bus services daily towards each of Adelaide, Melbourne, and Mount Gambier.[20] The Overland train stops twice a week each way.[21] Most rail traffic is freight passing through, although the local grain silos are also served by rail. In 2012, the crossing loop at Bordertown railway station was lengthened to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).[22]

• Bordertown High School